About Us

Our History

Palo Cedro Feed is just about as close as you can get to being a ‘historical building’ in Palo Cedro! The feed store started in 1963 and was bought and sold a few times until Jay Brauning bought it in the 1970s and ran it for many years before selling it to his brother, Kirk Brauning, and his wife, Bridgette. Kirk was a millwright until an accident almost tore off his right arm. After the accident, he and Bridgette decided to get into the feed business.

After all, Bridgette grew up in a large family of eight brothers and & sisters and thought the occasional visits to her local feed store were the highlights of her childhood. She would often recall seeing a little old lady sitting on the porch of that feed store and would imagine that one day, it would be her. To her, it was only fitting that she should go into the feed business too!

Kirk and Bridgette raised 3 three boys & and a girl, enjoying their help in the feed store over the years. Kelly remembers climbing up on a stepstool to look over the counter and help customers, while her older brothers would load the feed orders. As the kids grew, they went in different directions, Kelly off to college where she earned her degrees and the boys into their own careers. After graduating in 1999, Kelly chose to come back home for a year or two before continuing on to get her Teaching Credentials. She was working at the family business when one of her brothers became seriously ill in 2002, at which time, Kelly decided to stay and run the business while her parents dealt with the more important matter of their son’s illness.

When Bridgette retired, Kirk and his daughter, Kelly, ran the Palo Cedro Feed store together. Their ‘right hand gal’ is Desiree Stoops who has been with Palo Cedro Feed about ten years, and ‘Old Man Steve’ who is also well-known with the customers. Ezra Moore joined the business in 2009 and together they and the other employees make a great team! The family has always ordered from quality manufacturers and well-known suppliers for their feed store product lines. They’ve also kept on top of all the latest improvements in Feed, Hay, Tack, and Fencing including adding Organic Feed to their product lines and supplying locally grown mountain hay out of Fort Jones and Little Bieber areas.

Community Support

Over the years this family business has become a big part of the community, supplying materials and feed for all the farmers and ranchers. Palo Cedro Feed enjoys supporting 4H and FFA clubs, local schools (awards and yearbooks), Sober Grads, local youth groups (Palo Cedro Youth Soccer, Palo Cedro Baseball), and the local Fire Departments. They are also regular members of the Shasta County Farm Bureau.

Of Interest, First Grange Hall & Feed Store

The first Grange Hall and Feed Store were constructed in the early 1930s just off Deschutes Road on Old Highway Forty-Four. The building was two stories with the meeting and/or dance hall upstairs. The dining room was downstairs in back and the feed store in front. This building burned down in the early 1940s and was immediately replaced with the one story hall one can see today. The feed store was built on the north side of Old Forty-Four Drive and is still there today. (Wikipedia).